Collected here are 112 papers concerned with new directions in manufacturing systems, given at the 41st CIRP Conference on Manufacturing Systems. The high-quality material includes reports of work from both scientific and engineering standpoints.

This book gathers the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Frontier Computing, held in Tokyo, Japan, on July 12–15, 2022, and provides comprehensive coverage of the latest advances and trends in information technology, science, and engineering. It addresses a number of broad themes, including communication networks, business intelligence and knowledge management, Web intelligence, and related fields that inspire the development of information technology. The respective contributions cover a wide range of topics: database and data mining, networking and communications, Web and Internet of things, embedded systems, soft computing, social network analysis, security and privacy, optical communication, and ubiquitous/pervasive computing. Many of the papers outline promising future research directions, and the book benefits students, researchers, and professionals alike. Further, it offers a useful reference guide for newcomers to the field.

The book entitled Application of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly aims to present applicable research in the field of design, manufacturing, and assembly realized by researchers affiliated to well-known institutes. The book has a profound interdisciplinary character and is addressed to researchers, engineers, PhD students, graduate and undergraduate students, teachers, and other readers interested in assembly applications. I am confident that readers will find interesting information and challenging topics of high academic and scientific level within this book. The book presents case studies focused on new design for special parts using the principles of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), strategies that minimize the defects in design and manufacturing applications, special devices produced to replace human activity, multiple criteria analysis to evaluate engineering solutions, and the advantages of using the additive manufacturing technology to design the next generation of complex parts, in different engineering fields.

Civil architecture and structural engineering may be subjects to which most of us never give a second thought, but both these disciplines are crucial to the built environment in which we live, and without the skills of those who work in them, our buildings and infrastructure would lack the safety and reliability that we all take for granted. This book presents the proceedings of ICCASE 2023, the 7th International Conference on Civil Architecture and Structural Engineering, held in Guangzhou, China, from 14 - 16 April 2023 as a virtual event, and attended by around 250 international participants. The aim of the conference was to discuss recent advances and new perspectives in civil architecture and structural engineering, and to gain insight into the current state of the field and future scenarios. A total of 190 submissions were received for the conference, of which 78 were accepted for presentation after peer review. These are divided into 4 sections: civil construction and underground structure analysis; underground space and special structure engineering; construction material quality and performance research; and structural seismic design and reinforcement engineering. Topics covered included high-rise buildings and large-span structures; the monitoring and control of structures, tunnels and underground structures; calculation principles of the seismic design of structures; and seismic isolation technology of structures, among others. The book offers a comprehensive overview of civil architecture and structural engineering today, and will be of interest to all those working in the field.

Originally published in 1992 and based on two theoretical approaches: the Global Commodity Chain and the Global Production Network, this book investigates the multitude of processes, as well as diverse consequences of global integration upon industries, regions, enterprises and employees. In doing so, it draws from the experience of Western and Eastern and South-eastern Europe. These European cases are complemented with evidence from Kenya, Thailand as well as US, China, India and Mexico. The book explores multiple causes of decentralization, arguing beyond the pursuit of cheap and adaptable labour. It goes on to argue that the effects of delocalization within Europe, unlike those in the rest of the developed world, are less negative than usually portrayed. It concludes by putting forward recommendations for best future practice of successful adjustment strategies and examines how these might be adopted elsewhere in the world.

From the Foreword: "It was not long ago that a company which adopted robot systems was said to be going boldly where no man had gone before. This is no longer true. There is now a great deal of experience in robot technology; robots are no longer remarkable, but they and their associated technologies are still the key to the future of manufacturing. In this conference you will discover what difficulties were experienced, how development problems were solved, and, most importantly, what were the benefits gained. The object of this conference is to spread the knowledge of the latest robot manufacturing technology and to assist you and your company to apply this technology to your operations."

“A remarkable historical and geographical study” of a road linking Lexington and Maysville, Kentucky, and its influence on America (West Virginia History). Eighteenth-century Kentucky beckoned to hunters, surveyors, and settlers from the mid-Atlantic coast colonies as a source of game, land, and new trade opportunities. Unfortunately, the Appalachian Mountains formed a daunting barrier that left only two primary roads to this fertile Eden. The steep grades and dense forests of the Cumberland Gap rendered the Wilderness Road impassable to wagons, and the northern route extending from southeastern Pennsylvania became the first main thoroughfare to the rugged West, winding along the Ohio River and linking Maysville to Lexington in the heart of the Bluegrass. Kentucky’s Frontier Highway reveals the astounding history of the Maysville Road, a route that served as a theater of local settlement, an engine of economic development, a symbol of the national political process, and an essential part of the Underground Railroad. Authors Karl Raitz and Nancy O’Malley chart its transformation from an ancient footpath used by Native Americans and early settlers to a central highway, examining the effect that its development had on the evolution of transportation technology as well as the usage and abandonment of other thoroughfares, and illustrating how this historic road shaped the wider American landscape. “The authors demonstrate quite convincingly that rich local history lies along our roads. They unearthed an abundance of behind-the-scenes information that is invisible to us as we barrel down the highway. It should give all readers pause to consider how much more they could know about the places they travel through.” —Craig E. Colten, author of Perilous Place, Powerful Storms: Hurricane Protection in Coastal Louisiana “A very well researched and well-written book that makes a significant contribution to the study of American roads, U.S. settlement history, and Kentucky history in particular. The authors’ approach is broad and multifaceted, well organized, and keenly focused on the myriad aspects of an important path, the land and time it transits. This is a fine holistic study of an important and complex road and its many geographical and historical components.” —Drake Hokanson, author of Lincoln Highway: Main Street across America “This notable and ably-illustrated volume . . . captures the rigors of frontier Appalachian geography and the utter ingenuity of diverse peoples bent on moving west. The road is perhaps the greatest of American themes?it encapsulates freedom, mobility, possibility, escape, commerce, crime and calumny, adventure, and romance. Thank goodness we have these two able storytellers to give us the narrative of the Maysville Road.” —Paul F. Starrs, Regents & Foundation Professor of Geography (University of Nevada), and recipient, J.B. Jackson Prize, Association of American Geographers